The Era of 'Milkit': Which Sauces Are Good to Have at Home?

Lee Kum Kee Concentrated Chicken Stock. Photo by Lee Kum Kee

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] Recently, as the demand for Home Meal Replacements (HMR) has increased, meal kits have also been gaining popularity.

According to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the 4th, a survey titled 'Changes in Consumer Behavior and Implications in the COVID-19 Era' was conducted on 1,000 adults nationwide. The results showed that 8 out of 10 consumers reported an increase in online shopping since COVID-19. The product category with the highest increase in purchase frequency was food and beverages at 70.8% (multiple responses allowed).

With the significant rise in online shopping for food and beverages, the demand for HMRs that can be eaten without cooking has increased, but the popularity of meal kits is also considerable. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) Food Industry Statistical Information, the domestic meal kit market size reached 188.2 billion KRW last year and is expected to grow to 725.3 billion KRW by 2025.

Meal kits offer the experience of cooking yourself while allowing you to visually confirm the freshness of the ingredients. Their greatest advantage is the ability to adjust the flavors to suit personal tastes in various ways.

One of the main ingredients in meal kits is broth. In particular, chicken stock pairs well with various dishes, enabling the quick creation of a savory broth without compromising the original taste. It is sold in various forms such as solid, powder, and liquid types, making it easy to select and use the desired product. Recently, liquid-type products have gained attention because they allow easier and more convenient portion control and are good not only for making broth but also for marinating meat. Maggie, which first started mass production of chicken stock, and Lee Kum Kee’s concentrated chicken stock, which contains a high 12% chicken extract, are very popular.

Oyster sauce is a sauce originating from China. It was accidentally created in 1888 by Lee Kum Sheung (李錦裳), who ran a restaurant in Guangdong, China, when he forgot to turn off the heat while cooking oysters. Various chefs on cooking shows frequently use oyster sauce, and it has now become widely used at home. The biggest feature of oyster sauce is that it can easily add umami flavor to any dish. It pairs especially well with stir-fried dishes, allowing even novice cooks to prepare delicious meals easily. For meal kits with soy sauce-based recipes, reducing the soy sauce slightly and adding oyster sauce can enhance the umami flavor. As oyster sauce has become popular, various oyster sauce products are sold, among which Lee Kum Kee’s oyster sauce, founded by the developer Lee Kum Sheung, is the most famous.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.